Forever
by KimCSI
Summary: After Sara's life is endangered, Grissom finally realises what he has to do. GSR. Spoilers for Committed.


**Forever**

My version of how Grissom and Sara finally got together.

**A/N: **Set after S5's Committed. Spoilers for Committed. Not beta-ed. Reviews much appreciated but not necessary =]

**Disclaimer:** I do not own CSI, all characters remain property of CBS Paramount, Jerry Bruckheimer and Alliance Atlantis. I merely borrowed them. Otherwise I would be Sara Sidle, and Grissom would be mine :D

* * *

It was his worst fear; his worst nightmare; that he would lose Sara. It came too close tonight. As he relived it again, he reached for his glass, but even the clink of the ice in the auburn liquid did not comfort, nor did nothing to relieve that feeling in the very core of his being. And for once he could not shake it. It would not go away. Tonight, these thoughts would not be lost in the bottom of a bottle.

_Adam Trent holding Sara hostage in the nurse's station with a shard of pottery pressed so hard at her throat it went red; _

_The look in Sara's eyes;_

_The way the guard took forever to open the door while all he wanted to do was rescue Sara from the clutches of evil;_

_Adam Trent plunging the pottery shard into his own neck, blood everywhere… that could have been Sara… too easily I could have lost her… __**forever**__._

The finality of that last word had Grissom slamming the glass down onto his coffee table with force as he downed the last finger of bourbon. He ran his hand through his hair and rubbed his face.

_There's only one thing that word can be applied to now._

In a whirl of action, Grissom grabbed his keys and his coat and headed out to his car.

*********************************************************

She sat, curled up on her sofa, cradling the beer in her hand. She knew she shouldn't, but damn if she did not deserve a drink after tonight. Unconsciously she rubbed the area on her neck where Adam Trent had forced a piece of pottery to it as she relived, for the hundredth time, the events of the night.

_Adam Trent holding me hostage in the nurse's station with a shard of pottery pressed so hard at my throat, I thought he'd kill me; _

_The look in Grissom's eyes;_

_The way the guard took forever to open the door while all I could do was force myself to stay calm as Grissom watched me, saying "Open the door" over and over;_

_The relief as Nurse MacKay appeared and Adam's clutch lessened;_

_The surge of adrenalin through my body as I shoved him backwards and fled the room;_

_The prayer I said silently when I heard personnel shouting to get Adam to the medical ward. I knew at that second he'd plunged the pottery shard into his own neck… all I could think was that it could have been me and sending a prayer of thank you that it wasn't… it could all have been over… __**forever**__._

A tear rolled down Sara's cheek as she realised that she could never have seen Grissom again. She remembered the look on his face when he came to the window and saw her being held hostage by Adam. She'd never seen him look so scared. And to his credit he'd come to her at the end of the corridor to see if she was okay. He had the same look on his face when she'd told him about her past, a few weeks ago. He cared. She knew it. This wasn't the hope that she used to hold out for, this was evidence; tangible proof. It might not have been much but it was something. _And something was better than nothing_ she thought. But it did nothing to stop the other tears that found themselves cascading from her eyes.

*********************************************************

The knock at her door shook her from her reverie. The tears had finally stopped. Her can was empty. There was another as she threw the can into the trash before making her way to her apartment door. She knew she must look a state. She ran her hand through her hair before she reached for the door, subconsciously holding her hand to her neck as she swung it open.

*********************************************************

No words were spoken as he reached to take her hand from her neck. He placed it by her side as his hands sought out her neck and shoulders. His left hand cupped her neck while his right thumb softly stroked over the red mark left by the pottery.

"Sara, I…" Grissom faltered when he took in her face. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and there were salty tracks on her face where her earlier tears had fallen.

Sara said nothing as she looked up at him, taking in his countenance. He looked slightly taken aback, a little awestruck as he took in her features. Speechless, for quite possibly the first time in his life. If it was even possible, her heart fell in love with him even more.

Suddenly, she was enveloped by his arms as he held her to him. She knew then, she wanted this forever. _This… as if he even would…_ She felt the burning sting of tears threatening to fall. She closed her eyes and let him hold her, needing the contact. And there it was, the soft, feather light whisper of his lips against her forehead.

*********************************************************

Sara dared herself to look up at him, and she felt a little reluctant to do so, still a deep-seated fear inside of her that he would retreat. But as her deep chocolate gaze met deep azure, she knew she was wrong. The walls had fallen. He was letting her in.

"Grissom…"

"Sara, I… I wanted to… am I too late?" he stumbled over his words, the latter said in a rush, and Sara found it endearing.

"You… could never be too late." She said with a smirk of her lips.

"Tonight… I came close to losing you and I felt lost. You could have been gone from my life forever," he brushed her cheek with his thumb, "and I can't envision my forever without you in it. With me."

Sara was rendered speechless by his words, and she felt the hot tears spring to her eyes. As she blinked, she felt one roll down her cheek, and in the same moment, Grissom kissed it away before his lips made delicious contact with hers.

*********************************************************

He could no longer deny himself of Sara. No Sara was like a life without science, where nothing made sense and it ultimately made him incomplete. Yet right here, right now, with Sara in his arms, he felt complete. Gil Grissom felt complete.

**THE END**


End file.
